Improvement in railroad-signals



LH. CATRSON 8@ R. BROTZ. RAILROAD-SIGNAL. No.175,420, Patented Harch28,1876.

l.. wv m 26. (sal/wm @06f/v l?) Mum UNIQITED STATES' PATENT Ormea JAMESH. oArERsoN ANDLROBERT Beorz, oF PHILADELPHIA,A BA.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAlLRoADt-SIXGNALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent Noil 75,4120, dated March28, 1876 application filed January 17,1876.

reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which'- Figure l isa vertical sect-ion of a portion of a railway adjacent to a crossing orother signaling-point, illustrating the application ot' our improvedsignaling apparatus thereto; Fig. 2, a sectional plan on the line 1 2 3and Fig. 3, a sectional view of part of Fig. l, showing the reverse sideof the mechanism.

Between or adjacent to the tracks of the road are two levers, A A', thelatter of which is arranged near a crossing` or other signal` station,while the former is at a considerable distance from the same in thedirection from which the trains approach. The levers are hinged at oneend, and are connected at or near the opposite ends to bars B B', whichextend down into pits D D', containing the operating mechanism. rlhebars B B' have toothed edges, forming racks, which gear into pinions aa' on shafts c c', carrying grooved wheels E E', which are connectedtogether, so as to be incapable ot' moving independently of each other,by means otl a band, b, preferably of wire-rope, which passes from thepit D to the pit D' through a tube, d. Owing' to this connection thelever A' must always be elevated when the lever A is depressed, and viceversa. The shaft c', carrying the wheel E', also has at one end acog-wheel, e, which gears into a pinion, f, on an adjacent shaft, havingat its opposite end a wheel, g, the latter gearing into a rack formed onthe lower end of a post, h., carrying at its upper end the signal boardor light F. The post lb, as well as the bars B B', are suitably guidedat their lower ends, so as to prevent lateral vibration, and to insurethe keeping of the racks in gear with their respective pinions. The posth carries, in the present instance, in addition to .around which passesa cordl orwire, n', carryinig at the' endstwo Weights-,'7cland l,the-former of which is heavier than the latter. When the signal isdepressed, the weight-k rests upon a suitable hasev vor' support, andthe weightL-is suspended, the clock-workinconsequenceremainingquiescent,- but as soon as the signal is elevated,the tendency of the heavy weight to descend causes a revolution l of thepulley m, and a consequent operation of the clock-work and sounding ofthe gong. Surrounding the signal is a box or casing, M, ot' such aheight as to conceal the said signal when the post his lowered, andexpose the same when the post is raised. We prefer to attach to the topof the signal-lamp a cover, w, which moves with the lamp, but, when thelatter is depressed, covers the top of the casin g M, and serves toprotect the lamp and clockwork from theweather. The operation of thelever A and A' is ei'ected, preferably, by an arm, p, carried bythelocomotive or car, and carrying at its lower end a roller, q, this armbeing so hung in relation to a bar, i", that when a train is approachingin the direction of the airow, Fig. l, a lip, s, will be in contact withthe bar 1', and the arm will be rigidly held, and will depress thelevers A A', but when moving in the opposite direction, as in backing,will be at liberty, and will consequently fail to exert the necessarypressure. Arms and weights J and J' are attached to the shafts of thewheels Eland E', the weight J being slightly heavier than the weight J',in order to counterbalance the weight of the signal-post and signal, andto keep the rope b constantly tight.

When a train approachinga crossing or other signaling-point in thedirection of the arrow, Fig. 1,'arrives at the lever A, it depresses thesame, as shown, causing a movement of the wheels E E in the directionsot' the respective arrows, and thus raising the lever A', and elevatingthe signal at the crossing or other station. As the signal is elevatedthe clock-work carried in the box H is set in operation, and the gong Iis sounded, thus acting as an additional warning to those about to crossthe tracks. When the train reaches the crossing, the signal and lever Aare depressed, and the lever A raised, so ythat the mechanism is incondition for being operated by the next train. As the signal isdepressed, the motion of the clock-Work is stopped and the gong ceasesto sound, the weights assum- A ing the position shown in Fig. 3, readyto cause the operation of the clock-work when the signal is againraised. Owing to the length of the levers A and A, they present suchgrad ual inclinations for the action of the operating-arm p that thedepression ot' the levers, and consequently the. raising and loweringot' the signal, will be easy and Without sudden shock or jar. i

1t will be evident that different systems of gearing may be employed forvimparting the motion of the shaft ctothe signal, and that various formsof signals may be used- 1t hinged arm moving in the arc of a circle",for instance,

being substituted for the post Shaving a ver-V ticall movement.

We claim as our inventionl. The combination of signal-operatingmechanism with the levers A', their bars to the. post h of the signal,all substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the signal F, capable of being raised and lowered,with the gong I and clock-work H, and with devices, substantially asdescribed, whereby the clock-work is set in motion on the raising of thesignal, and stopped on the lowering of the same, all as set forth.

4. The combination of the operating-levers zA A with the arm 11,pivotedt the locomotive or car, and having a projection, s, adapted tothe bar r, as and for. the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence ot' two subscribih g witnesses. l

JAS. H. CATERSON. Y Y ROBT. BROTZ. Witnesses:

Y HARRY HowsoN, Jr., HARRY SMITH.

